Improvement in grain-separators



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI SAMUEL LESSIG, SR., OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Iateut No. 144,211, dated November4, 1873 application filed February 1, 1873.

To all whom vit may concern p Be it known that I, SAMUEL Lnssic, Sr., ofReading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Grain-separators; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, that will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon7which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object tolfurnish an improved grain, straw, andchaff separating machine 5 and consists in the combination andarrangement of the parts hereafter fully shown and described, andpointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention and form apart of the specification thereof, Figure l is a longitudinal verticalsection, and Fig. '2 a plan view with cover removed. A

A is the separator, composed of the serrated Y and perforatedsurface-a,1 a1 a3 and the carriers a2, secured to, and carried andoperated by means of, the guides L. The serrations al al are arranged toproject upward and toward the discharge end of the machine; they arecrescentshaped, and in the vibrations of the separator aid in carryingthe straw and chaff. a3 projects downward and toward the receiving end.a2 are two notched straw-carriers, attached to the upper side of theseparator. In the vibrations of the separator they shake the straw,cause the grain to fall to the surface a1 a3, and carry and dischcrgesaid straw at 0. L are two guides, to which are secured, and by means ofwhich are operated, the separatingsurface al al a3 and the carriers a2.They have their bearings on the cranks a, and on the journals a7attached to the cross-piece r, and work in the bearings in the ends ofthe levers or arms b1. y is the driving-pulley, connected by the shaft zwith the operating-pulley s. 'Ihe shaft z has formed on it the cranksa4, which are journaled to the guidesL. The pulley s is provided withthe heavy cast flange or extension e, which serves as a ily or balancewheel to equalize and steady the movements of the various parts of themachine. d5 is a flexible apron or guard, one end of which is attachedto the frame-work at d, and the other end to the separator A. C is avibrating chute, carried and held in place by the levers b2 b3, and isoperated by the levers b1 b2, connected by the links b4. and extendsfrom beneath the discharge end of the separator A, to and so as todeliver the grain into the sieve-box D at its rear or inner end. Thelevers or arms b1 b2 b3 and link b4 are made in two sets, andarrangedcorrespondingly on opposite sides of the machine. bl b arejournaled at their upper ends, and b2 at its center, to the `frame-work.b1 is journaled at a7 to the guides L, and b2 and b3 are journaled tothe chute G at j and a. The levers b2 are constructed aboutthree-fourths the length of levers b1, and have their upper endsprovided with bearings t', and connected by the link bL with the leversb1 at bearings i', which bearin t" are so placed as to be in ahorizontal line with the bearings t' on lever b2, that a direct actionmay be secured by levers b1 on levers b2', and so as to have the lowerend of lever b1 about one and a half times or twice as long as the upperend. The levers b1 are inclined forward of a perpendicular line fromtheir bearings aF, so as to give them a power to more readily exert theincreased force necessary to operate the chute C in its inclinedposition. The construction and arrangement of the levers b1 b2 are suchthat, when bl is drawn forward, b2 forces the chute up the incline. Theyalso give to said chute a short oscillating movement, which lessens theliability to become broken or worn. freely in the bearings 'i i', permitthe movements of the levers b1 b2 in the curved lines, which theynecessarily describe, and thereby obviate all jarring and opposingaction which would result were these levers journaled directly together.The operation of the levers b1 and b2 is such that they not only impartan oscillating or vibrating movement to the chute C, but also givethereto a slightly-undulating movement, which greatly facilitates thedelivery of the grain to the sieve-box. b5 is a rod, through which avibratory movement is communicated to the sieve-box D. It is attached toan extension of one of the arms b3, below the bearing a, and connectswith the sieveboX by means of any ordinary shoe and shak- Itis inclinedtoward- The links b, moving' l 2 Ellll ing-rod. The sieve-box D isappended to the frame by hinges or hooks, so as to admit of free andeasy vibration. It is provided with the removable sieves d1 d2 andscreen d3, and with the discharge-trough d4. The screen cl3 and thebottom d6 are inclined, to facilitate the delivery ofthe grain andscreenings to the discharge-trough d* and the opening 02. G is theblast-fan case, formed in two sections, m m', which are arranged so asto present the two apertures or throats o 01. The section m has one endiirmly secured to the rigid bar n, the other to the adjustable bar g,which may be raised or lowered by means of set-screws in the side of themachine, so that the aperture 0 can be contracted or enlarged, as may bedesired, to diminish or increase the quantity of air admitted to thesieve-box, or to direct the current more directly under the sieve d1, asis often found necessary in winnowing grain which is somewhat damp, ordirecting it more generally into the sieve-box. Eis the blastfan. Itsaxle is provided with the pulley c, by which it is revolved through themedium of a band connecting with the pulley s. H is a regulating andgoverning blast-valve, closing the throat o1. It is hinged at h2, andprovided with the notched arm h1 and weight h. F is an adjustable guardor apron, regulated by bearings and set-nuts j' in the posts x. Itsobject is to turn the air up or down the sieves, so that the chaff canbe blown well out into the straw as it falls from the separator, or tothe ground before reaching the straw, that it may be cared forseparately. K is the cover of the apparatus. It rests on the brackets kk', and is provided with the iiexible apron k.

In the operation of the machine, motion is received through the mediumof a belt from the thrasher passing over the pulley y, which,

by means of shaft z', revolves thc cranks a, which again give anoscillating` or vibrating motion to the guides L, carriers a2,separatingsurface a1 al a3, and to the lever b1. The levers b1, by meansof the links b4, impart motion to levers b2, which connect with andcause the chute C to vibrate. chute give a swinging motion to the leversb3, and these again, by the extension of one of which, oscillate the rodb5, and through this rod the sieve-box D. The blast-fan E is revolved byband passing over the pulley o on its shaft, and the pulley s on theshaft z conneeting with the pulley ly. The intermixed grain, straw, andchaff are received from the thrasher by the separator at R. Thevibrating and oscillating motion of the separator disengages the grainand chaff from the straw. The straw is carried by carriers a anddischarged at O. The grain and chaff pass through the separator to thechute C, thence to the sieve-box D, where the chaff is blown out and thegrain carried to the discharge-trough d4, from which it is received bythe attendant.

Having described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

The combination of the separator A with the vibrating chute G and thesieve-box D, by means of the two pairs of long jointed levers bl b3, thepair of short jointed levers b2, and connectinglinks b4 b5,substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this15th day of January, 1873.

SAMUEL LESSIG, Sn.

Witnesses MATTHIAS MENGEL, DANIEL SPOHN.

The oscillations of thel

